About JBF Events

The James Beard Foundation offers a variety of events designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster an appreciation of American cuisine. Below is a glossary to help you understand the differences among the various types of events on our calendar.

Events at the Beard House

These events are all located at the historic James Beard House at 167 West 12th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues), in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood.

Dinners

Multi-course meals, complemented by wine pairings, prepared by guest chefs from around the world. Dinners may highlight individual chefs or chefs from more than one restaurant. Chefs may cook their own signature cuisine, or cook around a particular theme, such as a specific ingredient or holiday.

When attending a dinner, guests are first invited to walk through the Beard House kitchen to meet the night’s chef and observe the event team at work. They then enjoy a canapé reception, which takes place throughout the ground floor and in our garden (weather permitting). Diners then climb to the second-floor dining room, where they enjoy a five- to six-course tasting menu with wine pairings. The evening concludes with a question-and-answer session with the chef in the dining room.

Walk-around parties featuring numerous chef stations or passed canapés, as well as wines, cocktails, and other beverages. Cocktail parties take place throughout the Beard House and in the garden (weather permitting).

Beard on Books

Monthly literary series featuring readings and discussions with some of the food world’s most celebrated authors. Sessions are held in the Beard House dining room. Learn more about Beard on Books.

Events Outside of the Beard House

These events are located at venues in New York City and around the country.

JBF Awards

The nation’s preeminent honors for culinary professionals, presented every spring in New York City and Chicago. Medals are awarded to chefs and restaurants, as well as for outstanding books, journalism, restaurant design, and other categories. Learn more about the James Beard Foundation Awards.

James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards

Established in 2011, the JBF Leadership Awards recognize visionaries who are creating a safer, more healthful, and more sustainable food world. Past recipients include Alice Waters, Michelle Obama, and Will Allen. Learn more about the JBF Leadership Awards.

James Beard Foundation Food Summit

Established in 2010, the JBF Food Summit investigates critical issues that face the food industry, such as sustainability, economics, and media. This two-day event consists of roundtable discussions, panels, and speakers. Learn more about the JBF Food Summit.

Fundraising dinners hosted by chefs and restaurants around the country; proceeds go toward supporting the Foundation’s general operating fund and scholarship program. Friends of James Beard Benefits are often modeled on dinners at the Beard House, featuring a multi-course menu with wine pairings. Learn more about Friends of James Beard Benefit® dinners.

Celebrity Chef Tour Dinners

A national dinner series brings a taste of what happens at the James Beard House in New York City to more than 20 cities across the country each year. Each dinner begins with a cocktail reception followed by a one-night-only, multi-course dinner with wine pairings featuring a diverse group of JBF Award winners and local chefs, and ending with a decadent dessert course and a Q&A session with the evening's chefs. Learn more about Celebrity Chef Tour dinners.

Annual fall fundraiser in New York City, featuring an extraordinary seated dinner prepared by renowned chefs from around the world, outstanding wines, and exciting live and silent auction packages. Learn more about the JBF Gala.